The Blue Eyes
by Jet-kun
Summary: Into the one of many eyes of the first allies of Ramza... who may know more than one is lead to believe. Minor editing in some chapters.
1. Me

**The Blue Eyes**   
By J.B. 

_Part Alpha - Me_

  
  
  
  


As some who may have poked in my profile have noticed, I took out my previous Final Fantasy Tactics story; it was just way too... embarrassing for me to even write. What the hell was I on when I wrote _The Foreigner_? -_-;;; I'm hoping this one is at least somewhat more tasteful, and is not one of those stories where the Mary Sue (although I greatly retain that my definition of Mary Sue is that it's a made-up character created primarily to fall in love with the main character(s) and screw up canon, or even popular non-canon, relationships) is overpowered with Dragon Whiskers, Chaos Blades, and Holy Explosion techniques. No, that just won't do. ^_^;; My character will, just like any other schmoe, _earn_ his keep and right as a unique character. You just wait and see... 

Relationships? Uh... there might be any, depending on how I feel like it. You know, of all the available girls out there for Ramza, these three seem to be most popular: Agrias, Rafa, and in a distant third, Meliadoul. (I would mention Alma, but I don't really count her as a primary love interest, not because I'm against incest or anything like that, morely because there is not enough interaction between the two to give me reason enough to include her as such.) Feel free to argue which coupling is best, I mind not ^^; 

On with the show, souya desu ka~~!   
  
  
  


~ * * * * * * ~ 

_1st of March, circa 200 A.D._

  
  
  
  
  
  


I take it that those of you who might find this tablet of inane and ludicrous thoughts will want to know who I am. For the record, you should know me as one of the legendary "heretic" Ramza Beoulve's first allies ever since his name was first recorded in the history books. Yes, I was one of the few that knew him before the outbreak of the Lion War, but I was in no way special like any of the other heroes you may have read out. I was no "Thundergod Cid"; I had nothing to do with the kinship of the Holy Knights, nor was I one of the more malevolent Dark Knights, or even those exotic wizards that some of the southerners talk about today. 

No, I was none of that. Just like every other man in his rite of passage, I met him and began as a mere little squire. An average 5'5", black-haired, and blue-eyed squire, but a squire nonetheless. 

My name is Tyrane Leimant. 

But names don't matter. 

In the battlefield, they never did.   


Today was the beginning of the spring, and an important day it was as well. The Academy of Gariland was where I, as well as my other peers, trained and studied at, all of us seeking our own hopes and dreams, yet united under the banner of the Hokuten. We wouldn't have been any prouder. 

We were gathered in the Auditorium, all of us patiently awaiting Master Daravon (as some called him; but I always disliked the old coot, he was much too boring for my taste) or whoever had called us here. While waiting, I merely leaned upon a wooden support, paying little mind to my Squire and Chemist peers, who were talking about the latest news of something concerning the Marquis and the Death Corps. But I could care less, there was always something wrong going on in Ivalice. 

Before I could catch a minute of dozing, someone from the next room had called to us in a stern voice. 

"Cadets, line up!" 

I heard the call from the knight as clear as day, and as I adjusted into line along with the other Squires and Chemists that stood behind and to the sides of me, he strode into the room proudly, his white mantle of the White Lion flowing proudly behind him. He spoke to us of our assigned mission of this semester; we were to be deployed to Igros Castle and support the reserve troops that were stationed there. '_A simple guarding task,_' I thought with a hint of distaste, although I didn't state that thought out loud. 

Before I was finished filtering out the details from the Hokuten soldier's boring briefing, another Knight rushed into the room and whispered silently at him. This one was female, and young too, catching the eyes of nearly every one of the males' attention. To be honest, there weren't many girls that I knew that swore loyalty to knighthood, so they demanded great respect... but that didn't mean I couldn't take a peek or two at them. I couldn't hear what the two Hokuten were conversing about, but I had an idle feeling that our plans would soon change. 

"Cadets, ready your swords!" 

Yup, I was right. 

"A gang of tortured thieves is trying to sneak into town. We'll set out now to keep them out of town! Prepare immediately!" 

'_Thieves, huh? This shouldn't take long_.' I looked at the brown-haired Squire next to me. "Up for some real action, Leon?" I asked with every bit of confidence. 

He gave me a smirk, preparing his long dagger on his belt. "Hope you can keep up this time, Tyrane," he taunted. The female Squire and Chemist in front of us rolled their eyes. So what if were being egotistical? It was our way of competition and toughening each other up. 

Then I looked toward our supposed 'leader' of this next squall. I walked over to the blonde, nodding in acknowledgement. 

"So, great leader Ramza, are you ready?" 

"As I'll ever be," he said with some confidence. The tan-armored youth next to him readied his Broad Sword, looking at seriously. "Just don't get ahead of yourself again, alright?" 

"Don't you worry 'bout a thing, Delita," I replied with a grin. 

Man, if I only knew better.   
  


**Continued....**


	2. Myself

**The Blue Eyes**   
By J.B. 

_Part Beta - Myself_

  
  
  
  
  
  


And if any of you are curious as to some of the 'technical' aspects of Tyrane, which I don't believe are necessary at all, then by all means refer to this small tidbit of statistics: 

Name: Tyrane   
Job: Squire   
Brave: 71   
Faith: 24   
Sign: Aquarius 

Why is his Faith level so low? That's for you to find out. ;) 

And on an off-note, I done a pre-drawing of Tyrane... this was all done in ink, however. What else can you do with ink brushes? >_ (Address of the pic's at my profile)   
  
  
  


- + - - - - + - 

  
  
  
  


This seriously, as my friends put it, sucked. 

The head of the desperate band of thieves was a guy I that was quite familiar with. The dark green sleeves and tattered clothes did not fool me; I read his gruff and scarred face as clear as day. He wielded a rusted broad sword and seemed desperate to get past us, as did the rest of his battered comrades. 

Although Ramza and Delita may not have know who he was, I did. 

"JERAS!" My blade clashed with his when I rushed up to attack. "I knew you were low, but this is the pits! What, beating up little kids wasn't enough for you?" 

'Jeras' sneered at me with a growl, desperately swinging his blade in an attempt to get in a shot, but because of his blindly berserk mood that he was in, it was not hard to dodge the blows. "And why do you care, Tyrane?! You got off better in school than me and everyone else did!" He caught a potion thrown by the chemist behind him, which he drunk in the blink of an eye. Jeras nodded to him in thanks, his attention focused back to me. "You think we have much of a choice?!" 

I ducked the next swipe, glancing sideways for a quick moment. Delita and Ramza were helping the others clean up the rest of the motley crew, deciding better to leave me with my personal matter concerning the brigand that was annoyed with me. I gathered up the strength in an upwards blow, knocking Jeras's sword forcibly off of his hands, then retorted, "There's always choice, fool! You just chose wrong, and now you're going to pay for your choice." 

Jeras looked surprised upon loss of his weapon, but balled up his hands into fist and swung his feet in a full-circle kick. His hard leather boot connected solidly on my face, not expecting for him to be skilled in the martial arts, and I stumbled back from the blow. 

I touched my cheek and felt some of my own blood run down my fingers, then ducked to avoid another kick from the brown-haired fighter. '_Screw this,_' I thought for a moment, '_where in the hell did he learn to fight like that?_' 

Someone had threw Jeras's sword back to him; he caught it without looking and grinned menacingly at me. He jumped and kicked away my own weapon, then smacked my head with the flat end of his blade. I fell back, dazed and winded, watching as the scarred thief raised his sword to execute the final blow... 

Until a blade suddenly ruptured through his chest. 

Jeras looked down at the sword that was jammed through his back for a brief second, then dropped lifelessly down to the ground. I blinked and looked up at Ramza, who smiled at me upon seeing me safe. Then he looked down at the dead ender, sighing. 

"Why do you continue stealing like this?" he asked to no one in particular. "You wouldn't have died this way if you had led an honest life."   


In truth, I didn't believe that for one second. 

'_It's just the way that people are._'   
  
  
  


- + - - - - + - 

  
  
  


With the demise of the thieves well behind us, 'great leader' decided that we should rest up before our two-day walk to Igros. I reluctantly agreed, although I didn't see what was the point. Instead, I spent the hours in the Inn pacing about, waiting for something to happen. Ramza, before he retired, looked me over with slight concern on his face. "Don't sleep often?" he asked. 

I shook my head. "Just bored," I replied. "I'm not used to long rests between battles." 

"Oh." He paused, wondering what to say for a minute. "Goodnight then, Tyrane." He headed upstairs to the rooms where the rest were, though I did not follow. 

I walked out of the inn into a clearing some meters away. The moon hung over the clear night sky like a sleeping sun, providing a brief amount of ambient light for one to make way through the darkness. With my sword still at my sheath, I drew it quickly and started shadow fencing, ignoring every bit of the environment around me. I focused upon a shadow, a sparring target of my own creation, and prepared to strike, only allowing my conscience and sword to do the talking.   
  
  
  


_'These guys don't understand that I cherish my privacy as much as I do_   
_fighting. It's the only way I keep my sanity.'_

I made a quick jab to the front, then drew back for another jab, then thrusted forward, and ended it with a backflip.   
  
  
  


_'I don't blame Jeras for resorting to what he did... everyone goes their own way to survive in the world._   
_Even if it's by lying, cheating, or stealing. And who knows? Maybe he was being honest about it_   
_and wanted to pick the life of a thief...'_

I made a low sweep with my sword at my imaginary enemy's "feet", following it with a kick, then with a half-circle slash straight across where the chest would be.   
  
  
  


_'I wish I wasn't so god-damned street smart about the world. If I were like Ramza more, I'd_   
_have probably been that much happier. But then again, I wouldn't know of being_   
_without parents... on the other hand, at least he has his sister to comfort him.'_

Sheathing my sword, I made a run toward the 'ghost' and unsheathed it at the last possible second, my slash and following thrust appearing only as a silver blur if anyone had watched. Which I doubted, but as I had fought on, I grew a tad more cautious in my movements. 

As if response to my uncertainty, the calm breeze the flittered around me started to make itself more known, and I shivered briefly from the cold wind that circled about.   
  
  
  


_'I really should stop trying to pretend to be so good at something. Besides, I'm not one of_   
_those special Knights that're helping slaughter the Death Corps. I'm not one of those_   
_famous Wizards either, who can burn stuff faster than I can blink. God, I don't_   
_know what I am... and I don't know if I ever did.'_

After a gust of wind caused me to nearly lost my concentration, I eventually sheathed my sword and rubbed my hands together, wondering why was the weather so uncooperative with his thinking today. 

Had I looked back, I might've noticed the extra pair of eyes that were watching me as I strode back to the inn.   


_'I'm not going to be sleeping well tonight.'_   
  
  
  


- + - - - - + - 

  
  
  
  


I still seek improvement on action scenes. Oh, and excuse me if I miss a few critical events that happen during the game... trying to pace myself and keep the viewpoint centered around Tyrane. And I may have ideas as to make Tyrane 'special', but not special in the way of giving him kick-ass powers and such. (That comes much later ^^;;; mebbe.) 


	3. I

**The Blue Eyes**   
By J.B. 

_Part Cetra - I_

Oh, and thanks to all my reviewers so far---I never had a high count base before. ^^;;   
  


3rd of March, A.D. 200   
  


I didn't like the new guy one bit.   


Let me start over from the beginning. After a simple battle with a few loose brigands on the main road of the expansive Mandalia Plains, 'great leader' had thought it wise to keep the young man we saved within our ranks for the time being. From the minute that I saw his bronze armor, neatly sewn orange scarf, and prim cut blonde hair, I already knew that we were dealing with a Noble. 

Yes, I was one of the few, or if you look at it from the 'commoner's view, the many that disliked Algus Sadalfos. 

It wasn't like I knew his traitorous family history well, which he had explained to Ramza much later. It was just that we (and when I mean we, I meant us 'commoners') never, under any circumstances, mixed in well within the presence of any of the rich snobs (who are so righteously called Nobles). I was not much to emphasize the differences between nobles and commoners, not like how the Death Corps was trying to do, but I knew full well the line was there. I also knew my comrades did as well, and that they too kept their real thoughts of this borderline secret. 

So on our last hour on our trek towards Igros, I could practically smell the tension in the air, just like the stench of blood that always remains after a hard-fought battle. None of us; not Leon, not I, and especially not Delita; dared to fire the first shot. I decided to let HIM make the first move, especially since he wouldn't survive against a greater number of others that did not like him. Noble or not, he knew better than to be outright. 

"I must rescue the Marquis," he kept muttering, although I wasn't entirely sure his reasons were as selfless as they were supposed to be.   


=======================

We (and when I mean we, I meant us 'soldiers' of Ramza) decided to mill around the town section of Igros while 'great leader' and Delita escorted the blonde twit to the castle. Most of the female cadets split off to do whatever women did (and frankly at the time, I didn't care), while Leon and I had decided to do a little practicing on the outskirts of the village. But what I didn't know ahead of time is that my old comrade had changed his fighting style without me knowing. 

So when we met at our usual secluded clearing behind the Beoulve residence, I looked at him warily at his new Knight attire. 

Leon was tall, around 5'8", with his thick auburn hair wrapped in a masculine ponytail that trailed behind his back. His eyes shone a darker shade of brown, the left eye partially shadowed by his bangs. Unlike the others who were also Knights in training, he had decided to keep his hair from being stiff and combed up. His grinning expression indicated that he was proud of the new leather armor and cape that he now wore, which was standard Hokuten-issue, but with brighter colors. 

"Nice," I commented, but not too impressed at that moment. 

"Thanks," he smirked back, then unsheathed his sword and adjusted to his battle stance. "You know I'm going to be a lot harder on you now." 

"We'll see." I started off the sparring battle with a leap to the air and executed a standard overhead slash right down to his head. Leon knew this was coming, however, and raised his wooden shield to block. I cursed to myself as my momentum was interrupted by his new defense; I had very little experience dealing with shielded warriors. I forced myself to learn quickly, to analyze and pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of my friend's new Job class. 

He countered with a spin and a slash aimed toward my ribcage. I lifted up my sword to block, but the high velocity and power of the blow knocked my weapon clean off my hands. '_Ok, that was mistake number two,_' I berated at myself. I was _not_ going for three. 

I executed a back flip and escaped his attack range, picking up my sword along the way. A new idea formed in my head, and it was going to use Leon's own strength to my advantage. Despite the current situation, I smiled. 

'_What's he grinning about?_' he wondered for a second. '_Tyrane knows I've got the advantage because of my new equipment, there's no way that he could've found a weak spot already._' 

I rushed in, appearing as reckless as I could, and I saw the brown-haired youth raise his shield up in preparation for my attack. But instead of trying for the blow, I performed a slide right under his shield, and kicked him directly onto the chest. Leon stumbled back from the force of my blow, his winded state causing him to drop his shield in surprise, and nearly forgot to defend as I quickly disarmed him with a flick of my wrist. 

His long sword went flying and landed blade-first onto the hilltop. I stopped my sword an inch from his face, a wide grin plastered on my face. 

"You're anticipating too much," I chided. "I don't always strike the same way twice." 

My friend sighed, pushed aside my sword, and went to his own weapon. "Yeah, I'll give you that much credit," he replied, "I just started my Knight training a day ago, ok?" 

"But still," I tried to reassure him, "you were really hard on the defense. It's not every day I have to deal with a shield and sword at the same time." As he sheathed his sword and turned back toward me, Leon smiled faintly. 

"So, let's meet back with the others, ok?" I said, pointing back to town. "I'm sure the girls are done with their shopping by now." 

As we wandered back, I thought I caught a glimpse of a silhouette darting behind a corner of the Beoulve house, but when I chased it to where it was, I found nothing. 

'_Must've been just my imagination…_'   


===================

  
  


I cut this chapter a bit short 'cuz I wanna keep up with my deadlines ^^; I've reports up the creek this week, so I'll be a bit slow with further updating... gomen ne! 


	4. Her

**The Blue Eyes**   
By J.B. 

_Part Delta - Her_

**And this part of the story will, for once, not have any action! If you don't like drama or in short supply of tissue, you may stop reading for your own safety. ^_^**   
  
  


=======================

Upon entering the bar, I was greeted by the usual sounds of laughter and glasses clinking together. Leon was the first to spot Ramza and Delita seated together, both sharing a fresh glass of water (as they were still too young to be allowed ale), while the female cadets were happily chattering away. I paid the latter no mind, however. I took a seat across from Ramza, and Leon chose a spot next to me. 

"You two look beat," the blonde leader commented. "I take it you two were training?" 

We both nodded. "Lost again," Leon said, chuckling. "Seems you're gonna get a rival soon, Great Leader." 

Delita took a sip from his glass, and looked at me intently. "He'll have to wait in line," he smirked, "right behind me." 

"Oh, is that a challenge?" My smile seemed to envelop the room; it seemed that my spirit was at its highest when it was in a good fight. "Well, maybe I'll take you up on it when you have the time." 

He laughed softly, as did Ramza, before he put on a serious face. "But that'll be later. We've got a new mission," the brown-haired cadet said. 

"Oh?" My expression sobered up as I looked at Delita seriously. "And what would that be?" 

Before 'great leader' opened his mouth, a shy dulcet voice suddenly caught my attention. I whirled from my seat to find a short auburn-haired girl staring toward my direction. My mind suddenly went blank, and silence seemed to descend upon the rest of the group as well; they had an idea what my reaction to her appearance would be. 

"Hello Tyrane," she meekly spoke. 

I did not blink, but partially hid my face, as I replied with only one name, 

"Teta." 

Delita's gaze shifted between her sister and I, then decided better than to cut in the melodrama between the two of us. He coughed, nudging Ramza, "I think I need some air… c'mon, Ramza." The blonde blinked as if not knowing what was going on, even as his old friend was dragging him across the bar and away from us, but reluctantly helped Leon draw away the rest of the female cadets, who had started to watch the drama between us, as well. 

My stare at the approaching girl did not waver. Neither did hers.   


====================

"It's, um… it's been a long time." 

That was all I could say after five minutes. 

We were both sitting at the table that our 'commanders' had vacated, both trying to avoid each other's gazes. I felt mixed emotions of anger, frustration, and whatever else that caused me to suddenly forget about her, all of which was aimed directly at me. I knew that she felt the same way. Her solemn expression was not one I was used to looking at in our last times together… for a moment I reminisced of all the cherishing memories that Teta and I shared together. 

But once I slowly kept my gaze forward and unwavering toward her eyes, I saw that some of that innocence was far from present. 

"Why didn't you write to me, Tyr?" she asked bluntly.  


I looked down at myself, my will to look at her right in eyes broken for a moment, then looked back at her with as much honesty as I could. Her tawny brown eyes did not waver from my own blue pupils. 

"I… I was busy, trying to keep in step with the others in school," I started to say, slowly reaching out to grasp Teta's hand. For a moment, she seemed to believe me, but there was something off in her touch, as if she was holding back something. 

Before I could wrap my hands within hers, she drew back and released all of her pent-up anger. "Why didn't you write?" Teta said, her voice starting to raise, "You think you weren't the only one suffering, you think you weren't the only one who had to stand up from the dumps and slums in Igros? While you were out living your little daydream of being a knight, I'm still stuck here trying to run home just so I stop being pushed around by those Noble prissies they call 'ladies'!"   


Some of the bar patrons shifted away from us, not wanting any involvement in this, and the barkeep's frown seemed to read and relay that message.   


"I come home, which isn't really our home, every day, tired, hungry, and who do I have to come home to? No one! My brother isn't enough, and Alma knows nothing of how I really feel, she isn't enough." Teta stood up from her wooden chair, her face a mixture of tears, sorrow, and fury which had no intended target at all… except herself. "I check the telegrams for message every single day… but not one! Not one accursed piece of paper… not for days, and not for weeks, but over three months! Three months!" 

I opened my mouth to say something, but the cold slap of Teta's hand stopped me from doing otherwise. Eventually, her sobs started to drown out her anger, and I instinctively rushed to her side despite the stinging pain on my face. Finally submitting to the tears, she gave up and buried her face in my shirt, having had enough of her inner turmoil. "Why," she muttered through her crying, "when I need you here, why didn't you…why…" 

I knew not of what else to do or to say. It was bound to happen sometime, the rational yet insensible part of my mind argued. I was bound to screw up somewhere down the line. Why now, of all times?  


Wrapping a protective arm around Teta, I slowly led the two of us out of the bar, ignoring the mix of sympathetic and uncaring stares of the bar customers. 

One of them threw aside a mug of ale, not feeling up to drinking today. The bartender looked at the mess of once-pristine glass where the mug was thrown, and simply shook his head. 

"Damn kids," he said to no one. "Always with the drama when it comes to love." He sighed and fetched a broom to clean up. "Almost reminds me of me."   


=========================

In the living room of Ramza's family mansion, sitting on a rare Romandan carved velvet couch, I felt like the worst person in the world. 

I stared into the Beoulve fireplace lifelessly, my mind swimming with the thoughts that had raged on ever since I took Teta home. The expressionless look on my face, the wistful and lost glint in my blue eyes, and the quiet breaths were all hints to what I always thought in my moments: 

_'This is all my fault…'_

A feminine voice from behind spoke quietly into my ear, as if responding to that thought. "It couldn't be helped, Tyr." 

I looked behind me slowly and relaxed slightly upon seeing the golden-haired visage of 'great leader's' sister Alma. "But," I tried to say, attempting to hide the depressive tone in my voice, "you know her story better than I do… I didn't write to her… she was right, you know…" 

She hushed me by putting a finger to my mouth. I stopped talking and looked up helplessly at her. 

"It's not your fault," she said with genuine concern in her face. "It's just been rather hard on her lately… the school still hasn't really accepted Teta as one of the students. Most of our classmates have been picking on her because she's… well, you know…" Ramza's little sister brushed one of her bangs away from her eyes, diverting her gaze from me. "I've tried to comfort her the best I can, too. I know it's not enough for her, though." Then she looked back at me. "I also know how hard it can be in Gariland too… the headmaster placed a ban on all outgoing mail because of the recent Death Corps attacks, is that right?" 

I nodded numbly. 

"She knows that too," Alma continued, taking periodic glances at the door that led to where her close friend slept, "But she still misses you a lot, Tyr. No one else has made that girl smile besides her brother. Not even me, at times." The bittersweet-haired female kissed me on the cheek, and gave me a small hug. "Just be there for her the best that you can," she said as her last advice. "You're the real reason that she even tries, you know." 

I watched her leave to her own room, then wondered briefly of what I should do. 'I need some air,' I thought to myself. 'I have too much to think about tonight…' Just as I stood up to head for the front door, however, I heard a creak sound out from one of the other nearby doors. I made a sideways glance, then turned fully to look at who was walking in. 

"Teta…" 

It looked as if she was about to cry again, sensing my unwillingness to stay a moment longer. "You're leaving already," she said quietly. 

I looked back at her with genuine sorrow in my eyes, my frustration slowly disappearing. "No," I shook my head, slowly sitting back down on the couch. "Just wondering where I should sleep tonight," I tried to say, but she took my hand and the last part of my sentence died out. 

"Please," she whispered, sitting next to me, "just stay here for the night with me." I knew that saying no would be a total lie to myself, so I allowed her to rest her head on my shoulder as I nodded slowly. I wrapped one arm around her, drawing her closer as we both stared into the fire together. 

Only silence permeated the room, save for our quiet breathing and the soft roar of the flames. It still remained as our eyes began to droop in slumber, comfort, and warmth.  
  
  


From outside a nearby window, a small tear escaped from the watching shadow's teal eyes. 

==================   


**"Tyr" is short for Tyrane, which is what his friends usually call him. I know this is pretty sappy, but all stories have got to have at least one sappy part in the tale... wouldn't be a complete without one, at least to me ^^;;**   
  



	5. She

**The Blue Eyes**  
By J.B.  
  
_Part Gamma - She_  
  
  
  
  
4th of March, A.D. 200  
  
  
  
Warmth and strawberries. Those are the last things I remembered before I fell asleep, and the first two feelings that arose to my senses as I awoke.  
  
Where am I...?  
  
My eyes slowly focused on the girl asleep in my arms, then widened upon recognizing who it was. Oh, now I remember. I couldn't recall how were were both sharing a blanket and still sitting on the couch in front of the now-snuffed fireplace; all I remembered was my lost love's request to stay for the night. Underneath the blanket, she was still in a thin white and lavender nightie, and her smooth brown hair was slightly tangled against my shoulder.  
  
I let out a light sigh and kissed Teta upon the forehead. God, I missed her so much. Why did I ever leave in the first place? My callused fingers stroked her hair softly as I contemplated to myself. Oh yes... my swordsmanship. But a man can have both dreams come true, can't he?  
  
She shifted and curled up tighter against me. I could barely hear her dream-like mumbling. "Don't leave me again..."  
  
Instinctively, I was about to say that I wouldn't, until the recollection of yesterday's mission finally struck my mind. Damn it all. I never got to find out what it even was. I'll bet Great Leader and the rest are waking up by now. He probably won't like it was that I was gone for the night... But my eyes drifted down to the girl still in my arms, and I felt my heart wrench once more with indecision.  
  
What the hell do I do?  
  
A yawn from my right interrupted my self-debate. Alma rubbed her eyes as she walked in, one hand still clutching her golden yellow night gown, and peered at us. A small grin began to emerge on the Beoulve's face. "I knew you'd stay."  
  
"Yes, but I can't stay long," I said as quietly as I could. "Your brother expected me back last night... and I have no idea where we're going."  
  
"'You' are not going anywhere for awhile," she said, more like a command than a statement. "You are going to stay right here and be with Teta for one more day."  
  
A part of my heart jumped for joy, but I tried to keep rationale in my mind. "But your brother will be concerned--"  
  
She sharply sighed. "I will never believe that having one day off will kill you. I'm sure he's quite reasonable. I'll go talk to him."  
  
"Alma?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
She gave a small smile at me. "Anytime." Her gaze drifted toward Teta for a brief moment. "I care for her like a sister, you know. But even I can't protect her from everything. Nor can I repair every wound that she takes, even when she thinks I don't notice." As she walked toward the door, the golden-haired girl gave me one last look at me. "I entrust her with you. Delita does as well. Try hard not to break that trust, ok?"  
  
Without waiting for a response, she quietly crept out of the house, only a small creak emanating from the door that closed behind her.  
  
  
  
  
  
Sorry this is only a 'preview filler' chapter. The ideas for this story are kind of dying out.  



End file.
